Somatic comorbidities such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome may be prevalent among patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a recent study published by Tarar et al in Biomedicines. In the study, investigators used the 2016 to 2019 U.S. National Inpatient Sample database to measure the incidence of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome among 1.3 million patients with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10 codes for IBS who had been hospitalized. The investigators found that 10.73% (n = 134,890) and 0.42% (n = 5,220) of the patients also had ICD-10 codes for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, respectively. Further, the risks of fibromyalgia (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 5.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.24–5.41) and chronic fatigue syndrome (adjusted OR = 5.40, 95% CI = 5.04–5.78) were higher among the patients with IBS compared with those in the general population. The investigators reported that White and female patients were at higher risk of experiencing the comorbidities. In a companion press release from the University Missouri School of Medicine, the study authors concluded: “As we continue to learn more about how gut health effects health elsewhere, it is important that clinicians look for and manage somatic comorbidities in patients [with IBS].”
January 25, 2024